MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks Edge Higher; S&P 500 Tops All-time-high Closing

By Anora Mahmudova and Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

Factory orders climb 2.1% in March, first gain in 8 months

U.S. stocks rose moderately on Monday, with the large-cap benchmark S&P 500 trading above its previous closing record.

Investors digested a report on factory orders, which rose 2.1% in March, mostly in line with expectations. Monday's gains follow the rally on Friday, when stocks posted their biggest one-day gain in a month.

The S&P 500 (SPX) rose 10 points, or 0.5%, to 2,118.75 with all of its 10 main sectors trading higher. Utilities and health-care stocks were leading gains in early trade.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) gained 80 points, or 0.5%, to 18,105.58, while the Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) rose 33 points, or 0.7% to 5,037.

Some of the enthusiasm came from a rally in German stocks. The German DAX 30 index was up 1.5%, leading gains for European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-edge-lower-with-uk-market-closed-2015-05-04) after the release of robust manufacturing data for the eurozone. London markets are closed for a bank holiday.

Read: Icahn: Junk bonds now 'even more dangerous' than stock market (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/icahn-junk-bonds-now-even-more-dangerous-than-stock-market-2015-05-03)

Data: Orders for goods produced in U.S. factories rose 2.1% in March. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected orders to climb 2.4% after a revised 0.1% decline in the prior month.

Chicago Fed President Charles Evans will give a speech in Columbus, Ind., at 12:25 p.m. Eastern Time, while San Francisco Fed President John Williams will speak to a small-business trade group in San Francisco at 3:10 p.m. Eastern.

Wall Street is looking ahead to the nonfarm-payrolls report due Friday. Forecasters predict job creation in April will bounce back significantly after a disappointing 126,000 increase in March, which was the smallest in 15 months.

Read: Roses or thorns? Wall Street awaits pivotal jobs report for April (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/roses-or-thorns-wall-street-awaits-pivotal-jobs-report-for-april-2015-05-03)

Stocks to watch: McDonald's Corp. (MCD) shares were slightly lower after chief executive Steve Easterbrook unveiled turnaround plan.

Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) announced that its longtime head, John Chambers, (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ciscos-john-chamber-to-relinquish-ceo-role-in-july-2015-05-04) is being replaced in July internally by Chuck Robbins. Shares rose 0.6%.

Comcast Corp.(CMCSA) said it would buy back $6.75 billion in shares in 2015, as it reported earnings rose in the first quarter. Shares rose 1.5%.

Read: Media, smaller energy companies provide bulk of results as earnings taper off (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/media-smaller-energy-cos-provide-bulk-of-results-as-earnings-taper-off-2015-05-03)

Shares of Charter Communications Inc.(CCMMV) rose 1.7% after The Wall Street Journal (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/charter-expresses-interest-in-friendly-deal-talks-with-time-warner-2015-05-03-15103119) reported, citing sources, that the company has started to approach the management of Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) about a friendly merger.

(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/icahn-junk-bonds-now-even-more-dangerous-than-stock-market-2015-05-03)Other markets: China's Shanghai Composite Index , meanwhile, closed higher on Monday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-shares-drift-lower-2015-05-03), recovering from earlier losses after data showed the country's manufacturing activity slowed more sharply than forecast. Tokyo markets were closed for a holiday.

The dollar regained some strength on Monday, with the euro (EURUSD) pulling back to $1.114, a 0.5% drop. Oil prices (CLM5) also moved higher, along with gold (GCM5).

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires